Full Text of this Amendment

SA 105. Mr. BROWN of Ohio (for himself, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. BAUCUS, and Mr. TESTER) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 32 proposed by Mr. ENSIGN (for himself, Mr. CONRAD, and Mr. HOEVEN) to the bill S. 223, to modernize the air traffic control system, improve the safety, reliability, and availability of transportation by air in the United States, provide modernization of the air traffic control system, reauthorize the Federal Aviation
Administration, and for other purposes; as follows:

Beginning on page 1, line 3, of the amendment, strike "(3) establishes" and all that follows through page 3, line 10, and insert the following:
(3) establishes a process to develop--
(A) air traffic requirements for all unmanned aerial systems at the test sites; and
(B) certification and flight standards for nonmilitary unmanned aerial systems at the test sites;
(4) dedicates funding for unmanned aerial systems research and development relating to--
(A) air traffic requirements; and
(B) certification and flight standards for nonmilitary unmanned aerial systems in the National Airspace System;
(5) encourages leveraging and coordination of such research and development activities with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Defense;
(6) addresses both military and nonmilitary unmanned aerial system operations;
(7) ensures that the unmanned aircraft systems integration plan is incorporated in the Administration's NextGen Air Transportation System implementation plan; and
(8) provides for integration into the National Airspace System of safety standards and navigation procedures validated--
(A) under the pilot project created pursuant to paragraph (1); or
(B) through other related research and development activities carried out pursuant to paragraph (4).
(b) Selection of Test Sites.--
(1) INCREASED NUMBER OF TEST SITES; DEADLINE FOR PILOT PROJECT.--Notwithstanding subsection (a)(1), the plan developed under subsection (a) shall include a pilot project to integrate unmanned aerial systems into the National Airspace System at 6 test sites in the National Airspace System by December 31, 2012.
(2) TEST SITE CRITERIA.--The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall take into consideration geographical and climate diversity and appropriate facilities in determining where the test sites to be established under the pilot project required by subsection (a)(1) are to be located.
(c) Certification and Flight Standards for Military Unmanned Aerial Systems.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish a process to develop certification and flight standards for military unmanned aerial systems at the test sites referred to in subsection (a)(1).
(d) Certification Process.--The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall expedite the approval process for requests for certificates of authorization at test sites referred to in subsection (a)(1).
(e) Report on Systems and Detection Techniques.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report describing and assessing the progress being made in establishing special use airspace to fill the immediate need of the Department
of Defense to develop detection techniques for small unmanned aerial vehicles and to validate sensor integration and operation of unmanned aerial systems.

(As printed in the Congressional Record for the Senate on Feb 17, 2011.)